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Butterfly tongues are weird

Looking very closely at nature means discovering all sorts of strange things. Like how especially weird butterfly tongues are! Despite common belief, their tongues aren't actually used like straws. What actually happens is that liquid is drawn up through capillary action — something more accurately compared to when you dip the corner of a paper towel into a bit of spilled water, and the water runs up into the towel, soaking it. Tiny grooves inside the proboscis pull the liquid up the tube and that is how a butterfly actually drinks. How cool is that?!

Butterfly tongues are weird

Looking very closely at nature means discovering all sorts of strange things. Like how especially weird butterfly tongues are! Despite common belief, their tongues aren't actually used like straws. What actually happens is that liquid is drawn up through capillary action — something more accurately compared to when you dip the corner of a paper towel into a bit of spilled water, and the water runs up into the towel, soaking it. Tiny grooves inside the proboscis pull the liquid up the tube and that is how a butterfly actually drinks. How cool is that?!